Capacitor Install?

[d3ity]

Hey, anyone (da_bull) got any tips for me for when my capacitor arrives? It's a 1 farad rockford fosgate digital cap...

I'm sick of my headlights dimming... and i think it'll fix some of the issues I have with crap bass response when my system hits hard.

Any suggestions?

[da_bull]

It should help quite a bit. They are pretty straight forward install. Just put it as close to the bass amp as possible (or distribution block, if you have one).

[d3ity]

They just shipped it today... I'll let you guys know how it goes... I think this should fix most of my sound quality issues since I do notice every single light in the car dim like a sonofabitch every time a hard bass note hits... sounds great for the light ones but when my subs really dig into a note it sounds like hell.

[Kissner]

I didn't have very good luck with mine. I spent over a hundo to buy a 2 farad rockford cap and it did very little to help. My headlights and interior lights still dim when it hits hard. In my opinion it was a waste of money, I hope yours works better for you. I found the biggest help was buying a high performance battery

[chinonca]

Originally Posted by d3ity

They just shipped it today... I'll let you guys know how it goes... I think this should fix most of my sound quality issues since I do notice every single light in the car dim like a sonofabitch every time a hard bass note hits... sounds great for the light ones but when my subs really dig into a note it sounds like hell.

How many watts are you pulling from your audio system? A seperate battery would probably the best way to go depends on what ur running for amps and how much juice you draw from your vehicle.

[d3ity]

I'm running two amps... but the sub amp is by far the power consumer.

Rockford fosgate p400.4 (not sure on birthsheet, bought it used), 60w x 4 RMS

Rockford Fosgate T500.2 (500w, birthsheet reads 1280w)

The cap is getting hooked up to the T5002... I'm hoping 1 farad will handle that... my lights are just about shutting off when bass hits. As far as an aftermarket battery goes (i'm not ready to deal with battery isolators and all that) what are my options in an e34?

[chinonca]

Originally Posted by d3ity

I'm running two amps... but the sub amp is by far the power consumer.

Rockford fosgate p400.4 (not sure on birthsheet, bought it used), 60w x 4 RMS

Rockford Fosgate T500.2 (500w, birthsheet reads 1280w)

The cap is getting hooked up to the T5002... I'm hoping 1 farad will handle that... my lights are just about shutting off when bass hits. As far as an aftermarket battery goes (i'm not ready to deal with battery isolators and all that) what are my options in an e34?

Maybe try an higher amperage alternator.

[da_bull]

They recommend 1 farad for every 1000 watts, so you should be ok there. An extra battery will only give you more "motor-off" time. I cant remember what these cars have for alternators, but lets just say for arguements sake its an 80 amp.

With one battery you have the whole 80 amps to charge the system. With two batteries, you have "loads" to charge. You still only have 80 amps, so now you have 40 amps available to each battery. The extra battery is a waste of time unless you upgrade to a 160 amp alternator. Still then, the 160 amp alternator will do better with one battery than two.

Try your cap first, and see what happens. If all else fails you can do the heater/headlights/tail lights/air conditioning/dashboard delete mod, that way your whole 80 amp alternator will just be for your stereo and nothing else

Seriously, the only time a second battery is good is when you do a lot of key-off parking lot listening. With a battery isolator, you can run the stereo battery all the way dead, and still start the car to drive home. An upgraded alternator will probably be your next upgrade, after making 100% sure all your cables are the proper size, upgraded charging wire from alternator to battery, everything is grounded well, no corrosion at the battery terminals, upgraded battery ground from terminal to the fender (body ground), and your stock alternator is fully functional.

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

with that mod all you need in a hammer, a bucket and some ducktape in various colors....
friend's s-10 has a rock. cap added and it help SOOOOO much with the dimming....
~Alpine

[d3ity]

When its warmer out I really do want to get some better grounds going... perhaps even build something nice looking to hold all the stuff that now populates my trunk...

I think I am having some issues with grounding... but right now its just too damn cold out to spend a few hours moving stuff around.

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

^ lol know how you feel....

[da_bull]

A poor ground will also make your lights dim. Hope it warms up for ya soon. Cold here as well...

[d3ity]

resistance at ground is less than .5 ohms... so I think my ground is good. Checked it with my DMM on new years. Capacitor should arrive soon... hopefully today... but that's all up to UPS.

[d3ity]

Ok, just got the capacitor installed... The problem is 90% fixed. The interior lights in my trunk dim slightly... but I'm almost suspecting that I'm rattling the bulbs.

Dashboard lights dim ever ever so slightly, headlights are bright and don't appear to dim, I didn't really mess around too much because it's absolutely freezing outside... but it appears everything is in order... It's loud.... very very loud. Most of the weak sounding bass is cleared up... Managed to play Breakbeat by Slightly Stoopid with the volume at 40 without issue. Sounded amazing, felt even better

In a side note... to the owner of the white e34 that blasted by me tonight on my way home on 33 south... you're lucky I was completely out of gas.

[da_bull]

Sounds like you got 'er done. You probably wont get rid of the lights flickering totally but the cap definitely helps.